Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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FTCC, Habitat for Humanity Strengthen Community by LAUREN COLE Fayetteville Technical Community College and the Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity have worked together since 1988 to strengthen the community, improve the quality of life and change lives. Since its founding in April 1988, the Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity has built more than 110 homes to help eliminate substandard housing in Cumberland County, and Fayetteville Technical Community College is proud to be a partner in 59 of these proj- ects. FTCC’s Building and Trades Division and students enrolled in the cabinetmaking, plumbing, electrical, and masonry classes have completed 29 homes since the completion of the first dwelling on Camden Road. The partnership between Fayetteville Tech and the Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity provides not only the opportunity for hands-on training for FTCC students but also low-cost construction op- portunities for Habitat for Humanity. FTCC Student Hershel Williams feels that working on projects with Habitat of Humanity has helped him become more aware of community services. “FTCC students take pride in giving back to the community that has supported them throughout the years. Through the various projects with Habitat for Humanity and other similar non-profit orga- nizations, FTCC students are able to learn the value of giving back while gain- ing the experience needed to obtain employment after graduation. As a student participating in these projects, I am truly blessed,” Hershel said. Students in the Building and Trades programs at FTCC learn quickly through working with Habitat for Humanity where the learning experience is based on a “hand-up” not a “hand-out” philosophy. FTCC students feel they are partnering with families by helping them build their homes, and FTCC students are committed to those families for their long-term success. FTCC students, faculty, administration, and members of the community can see the fruits of students’ labor in the completion of a house that may be the first “home” for a family. Hershel Williams believes there is no substitute for experience and encourages any individual seek- ing knowledge and experience to enroll at Fayetteville Tech. The partnerships with Habitat for Humanity and other non-profits allow students valuable on-site job and learning experiences. Because of the combina- tion of hands-on experiences and classroom instruc- tion, students become knowledgeable and skilled employees available for the work force. Hershel plans to continue his education at NC A&T University and admits that the foundation he received at Fayetteville Technical Community College and through his experience with Habitat for Humanity have better prepared him for a successful four- year college experience. LAUREN COLE, FTCC Dean of Engineering, Public Service, and Applied Technology COMMENTS? editor@upandcomingweekly. com. Seniors & The Information Gap by MARTHA OWEN & SUSAN GUY As Baby Boomers begin turning 65, neither they nor their adult children are informed well enough to plan for their future care. A study was commissioned by Home Instead Senior Care and conducted in 2009 by the Boomer Project. The study consisted of adult children ages 35- 64 and seniors ages 65-75 in the USA and Canada. Both online and phone information was collected. The study revealed a troubling lack of information about senior care issues among both adult children and seniors themselves. In general, most respondents: • Knew little about the care options that are available. • Were misguided about the costs of those options. • Were poorly informed about what financial resources will be needed to cover the cost of care. Seventy-three percent (73 percent) of adult children said they have neither thought about nor planned for the challenge. Fifty percent (50 percent) of se- niors, those whose lives are directly affected, said they haven’t planned for their own futures. When asked what choices they believe are available for senior care, • Seventy-one percent (71 percent) of adult children could name “off the top of their heads” a maximum of only two of the eight non-family care options. • Sixty-six percent (66 percent) of seniors showed the same lack of knowledge. When asked to give their estimates of the expenses involved at each of the vari- ous levels of care, respondents were almost always wrong. They consistently over- estimated the cost, except in the case of skilled nursing homes when they seriously underestimated the cost. When asked what financial resources they thought would cover the cost of their senior care, adult children most typically cited Social Security, Medicare, and their parents’ or relatives retirement accounts and pensions. • Surprisingly, only 18 percent cited long-term care insurance. When seniors were asked about resources, they too cited Social Security, Medicare, and their own savings or retirement accounts, and pension plans as their top potential means of funding senior care. • Only 21percent mentioned long-term care insurance. The fact that so many seniors and their families have such a poor grasp of the facts about senior care and that they have done so little planning for the future raises serious challenges. According to projections based on U.S. Census Bureau data, the most reason- able estimate of the number of people over the age of 100 in 2050 will be 834,000. It could be more that 1 million, depending on several variables. Without adequate information, great numbers of seniors and their families will make poorly informed choices about the care they get. Bad choices can negatively affect families, healthcare providers, public resources and communities in general. A Good New Year’s Resolution is to get informed!! All adult children of seniors and seniors, themselves, need to resolve to get informed about the many options available . One very good resource is, Stages of Senior Care, Your Step-by-Step Guide to Making the Best Decisions by Paul and Lori Hogan, published in 2010. Each family will also need to review their personal financial situation. Looking into personal assets, long-term-care insurance policies, Veterans benefits, employee pension benefits, IRAs, and Social Security benefits are a few suggestions of ways to have information to be able to move forward. The old saying that “Education is the key to the future” is correct, even when the Education isn’t the typical class- room education. The time invested will benefit every adult child preparing for their parent and the senior planning for themselves. Get Busy!!! MARTHA OWEN & SUSAN GUY, Contributing Writers. COMMENTS? editor@upand- comingweekly.com Daily Specials Breakfast Lunch Dinner Fresh Seafood Hand Cut Steaks Homemade Desserts Italian & Greek Children's Menu Banquet rooms available up to 100 guests 14 UCW JANUARY 19-25, 2011 484-0261 1304 Morganton Rd. Mon-Sat: 6am-10pm Sun: 7am-3pm Serving Fayetteville Over 50 Years! WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM